Machine for removing pulp from cofee-beans.



URGELLBS. MACHINE ron nBMovING PULP rBoM norm: BEANS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1912.

Patented July 1., 1913."

I J. M, URGELLES'. l MAGHINE FOB. BEMOVING PULP FROM COFFEE BEANS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1912.

Patented July 1,1913.

2 sums-slum 2.'

. [NMF/WUI? Marcelin@ UPS @He's l dose UNITED' srATEs inirnnr ortica..

Jost; MARCELINO URGELLS, or panacea, CUBA.

MACHINE FOR RMOVING PULP FROM CFFEE-IBEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 31, 1912. Serial No. 700,653.

,the coifee berries are fed into one end of a cylinder made in sections, the end section being non-perforate and the intermediate sections being perforated, a shaft extending centrally through the cylinder and carrying a series of feeding, agitating and retarding devices, made hollow, and open at their outer ends, the sides of the said devices being provided with openings for the entranceof the pulp into the hollow devices, to be thrown out of the latter by centrifugal force and passed through the perfor-ations of the perforated sections of the cylinder.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of the machine for removing the pulp from coiee beans.; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shell of the cylinder; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal central section of a modified form of the machine; Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of a modified form of one of the rot-ating devices in the cylinder; Fig. 6 is a cross section of the same; and Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of a coffee berry.

Coffee berries as harvested (see Fig. '7)r have an outer skin a'which inclses a layer of pulp a surrounding two'beans a2 each inclosed in ashell a3. The berry is' first treated in a skin remover vvto remove the outer skin a and to cleave the remaining portion -so that practically two berries are layer of pulp a. The pulp a is a4 sweet',

d each contalning a bean -a2 ,inclosed in a shell at and the latter surrounded by a mucilaginous substance f a lightcol'or, and clings very tenaclously to the shell a3, and

ratented'auly 1, 1913.

the object of the machine presently to be 'y described in detail is to remove this pulp a in a simple, eleetiveand economical manner.

On suitable standards A and A is mounted a cylinder B formed of a series of'suc-A cessive cylindrical sections, of which the lirst or feeding section C is connected ,with an inlet D connected at its to'fpl with a hopper E for receiving the berries from a skin remover. The section C is not perfo# ratedfwhile the next section F is perforated, and the following section G is likewise pro- ,vided with perforations preferably somewhat larger than the perforations in the section F, and the section G is provided with a lining Gr of cem-ent or other similar rough material. H is made of wire cloth and the following section I is. made of fibrous material. The

next sectio-nJ is made of rubber, leather or,

other flexible material, and this section connects vwith a discharge section K yfixed to the standard A and provided in its bottom with a discharge spout K for the discharge of the beans, aslhereinafter more fully explained.

The sections F, G, H, I and J are mounted in a skeleton frame, shown in Fig. 3, and consisting. of' two longitudinally-extending bars B, B2 arranged diametrically opposite eachother and of which the forward ends aresecured to the feeding section C which latter is j ournaled in the inlet D. The other ends of the Sidebars B', B2 are secured to a ring B3 mounted to turn in the discharge section K. On the bar B are hinged hoops B4, and similar hoops B are hinged to the bar B2, and the free Sends of the hoops B4 are fastened by screws Bs or other fastening means to the opposite barI B2, while thefree ends of the hoops B5 are fastened by screws B7 or other fastening means to the 'bar B. The hoops B4 are connectedwith each other at theirvmiddle by a longitudinally-eXtending bar Bs, and a similar bar B9 connects the hoops B5 with each other. By the arrangement describedthe portion of the skeleton shell intermediate the feeding section C andthe ring Bf is made in halves which The next following section indicated in dot-ted lines in Fig. 2, on removkfor imparting a rotary motion to the shaft L. The cylinder B is preferably rotated, in

-a reverse direction to the rotation given to the shaft L, and for this purpose thev rst or feeding section C is provided on the outside with a gear wheel C in mesh with a pinion C2 secured on a shaft C3 journaled in the standard A and in another standard A2, and this shaft C3 is connected by pulleys and belt with other machinery-for imparting a rotary motion to the shaft C@ which by the pinion C2 and the gear wheel C rotates the cylinder B.v

On the shaft L are secured a number of successive devices for feeding the berries gradually forward" in the cylinder and for separating the pulp from the beans, as here.- inafter more fully explained. On the shaft L within the first or feedin section C is secured a spiral, hollow bla e N, open at its peripheral edge andprovided in its sideVY walls with perforations, so that the detached portions of the pulp of the berries can pa'ss through the'sai perforations into the hollow spiral blade to be thrown out of the same at the peripheral opening by centrifugal force. At the same time the berries are fed forward in the section by the spiral blade N into the next section F. Within the section F are arranged separating and feedingvdevices O, P and Q, of which the device O is in the form of a spiral, hollow and perforated bladesimilar to-the -blade N; and the device Pis in the form of radial pins P arranged in spiral form on thehub of the device, the ins being hollow and open at their outer en s, and provided with apertures in the side walls for the passage of the pulp into the interior of the pins, to be thrown out of the same by centrifugal force.

The device Q is similar in construction tothe devices N, O and is provided with @a spiral, hollow blade having perforations,the

peri heral edges of the blade extending close to t e inner surface of the cylinder section F, while the blade of the device O is smaller in diameter than the blades of the devices N and Q, so that theberries are `somewhat', retarded in the-section F to insure a severe rubbing of the berries in this section with a view to separate the pulp from the beans and to cause the pul to pass into the hollow members from whic the pulp is th'rown out by centrifugal force and orced through the perforations of the section F, while the beans are sufficiently large to prevent their passage through the perforations in the separating and feedin devices as well as through the perforations inv the section F.

It is further understood thatby the use of the ins P the-berries are tumbled about withm the section F and a continuous rubbing of the berries against the innery surface r of the cylinder section F takes place, to facilitate the separation ofthe pulp from the berries and cause .the pulp to pass through the perforations in the section- F to the outside of the cylinder and drop on the floor or into a suitable receptacle (not shown) held below the cylinder B.

The blade of the device Q feeds the berries forward into the next section G, in which two spiral and hollow blade separating and feeding devices R and R are arranged, se-

cured on the shaft L and serving to force the berries against the rough lining G to aid lin detaching the pulp from the beans, the pul passing through the perforations `in the lilades to the inside thereof to vbe thrown out at the peripheral open edge by centrifugal force, the same as above explained, in reference to the other separating and feeding devices. l'

' In the section H is arranged a separating, agitat-in device S having cylindrical hollow pins arranged spirally on the hub of the agitator, the pins having perforations in the sides for the passage of the pulp to the inside of the pins thereof llito be thrown out of the same by centrifugal force. The pins S" operate 1n conjunction with the wire cloth of which the section H is formed to aid in the separation of the pulp from the pins, the detached pulp dropping through the Wire cloth into the receptacle below the cylinder. In the section H is also arranged separat-ing and conveying devices S2 having hollow spiral and corrugated blades provided with perforations in the sides, it being understood that this device gives a severe rubbing to the berries with a view to remove the remaining particles of pulp still hanging on the pins.

In the section I is arranged a separator and conveyer T, and a similar separator and conveyer U is arranged in the last section J, the said separators and conveyors T and U being provided with hollow spiral blades the sameas the other spiral blades referred to, but the separator and conveyer T is somewhat less in diameter than the following separator and conveyer AU, the peripheral edge of which is in close proximity to the inner surface of the section K to retard the berries in the cylinder B and to .permit the smaller separator and oonveyer T to tumble the berriesv about against lthe inner surface of the fibrous material, of'which the section beans are brushed in the section J, as the latter is" made of a flexible material and the beans are forced against this material by the separator and conveyer U. By the time thebeans reach the discharge spout K of the discharge sect-ion K they are free and clear ofthe pulp, are polished, and are dis-l charged from the spout K into a suitable Vreceptacle arranged below the spout.

tions F, G, and H, so that very little pulp, if any, is discharged with the beans at the spout' K', it being understood that only small particles of pulp which are rubbed off the beans in the sections I andJ may pass along with the beans to the place of discharge.

Instead ofthe separating devices O and P in thesection F use ma beA made of de-` vices O and P2, shown in ig. 4, the device C' consisting of a spiral bladejconveyer having perforations only without being hollow, while the device P2 is inI the form of a spiral blade conveyor so' that the berriesare re-` tarded in the first portion of the section F to insure a severe rubbing of the berries c against the perforations inthe section F and the perforations in the deviceO to separate the pulp from the berries.

The spiral hollow blade separators Iand conveyers may be made in various ways, for

instance, as shown in Figs. 5 and6, the separatorand conveyer NV 1s made 1n sections l W fastened to a hub W2 secured to the shaft L, each section W being bent o ut of sheet metal or cast with a hub portion Ws and.

spiral blade portions Wl spaced from the opposite bladeportion's of thenext follow'- ing sections by spacing devices W, the hub sections vW3 as well as the blade sections W* bein fully erforated, land the hub sections W8 eing li ewise spaced from the hub -W2 except at the middle, at which the sectionsV by reference to Fig. 6.

By the arrangement described the separated pulp can readily pass into the hollow separators and conveyers to b e thrown out of the same at the outer edge by centrifugal force while the machine is running. a

Having thus' described vmy invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A machine of the class described, ,comprising acylinder made in sections, of

are attached, as will be readily understood which the entrance'` and exit sectionsfare smooth andthe intermediate sections are perforated, the said cylinder being made in two hinged sections to ermit of opening the cylinder a Vshaft exten ing centrally through the sai cylinder, and successive feeding, 'agitating and separating devices on the said shaft within the said cylinder sections.

9.. A machine of the class described, comprising a cylinder provided with perforati-ons, a separating device comprising a plurality of hollow erforate members located within said 'cylin er, the' perforations in one of said members being larger than in another, and means for turning. said cylinder and said separating device independently of each other.

3. The combination of a perforate cylinder, means for turning ythe same, 4and a revolublc shaft extending through said cylinderand fa pluralityof hollow perforate meinbers carried by "said shaft, the perforations of one of said members being larger than the perforations of another of'said members.

4. A machine of the class described, comprising a revoluble cylinder provided at its ends with non-perforat'e sections'and .fur-4 ther provided intermediate its ends with .-perforate sections, and a revoluble separating device mounted wlthin said cylinder.

'5.' A machine ofthe classydescribed, comprising 'a cylinder made in sections, the end sections being smooth and the intermediate Isections perforate, a'sliaft extending axially ythrough said cylinder, and separating members carried by said vshaft and revoluble relative to said cylinder.

65 A machine of the class described, comprising a. cylinderl a shaft extending trally through sai cylinder, a pluralit of agitating and separating devices carrie by said shaft and located within said cylinder, and a. ieldino abutment mounted in the end of sai cylin er.

7. vA mach'ne of the class described, com? prising al" revoluble cylinder made inV sections, the entrance section and the exit section being smooth and intermediate section-s being perforated, a shaft extending centrally through said cylinder, and a plurality ofsuccessive feeding, agitating, and separating devices carried by said shaft and corresponding to respective sections of said-cylinder.

.8. A machineof the class described, comprisin acylinder 'made in sections, a shaft exten ing centrally through said cylinder, lsuccessive feedin ,.agitating, and separatin devices carried y` said shaft and 'locate within said'cylinder and corresponding. to

respective sections thereof, and' a yiel abutment located in the exit section of sai cylinder.-

9. A machine of the class described, comprising a cylinder, a shaft extending cen- .within said cylinder, and a spring-pressed abutment located in one end of said cylinder for controlling thedischarge of material therefrom.

10. A machine of the class described, comprising a plurality of sections of which the first is smooth, the next perforated, the third perforated and provided with a lining, and the next made of wire cloth, and revoluble feeding, agitating, and separating members located within said cylinder.

11. A machine of the class described, comprising a cylinder and a separating device mounted therein and provided with revoluble hollow spiral blades, the front half of each blade being of smaller diameter than the rear half thereof.

l2. A machine of the class described, comprising a cylinder and a revoluble member mounted therein, said revoluble member carrying spiral hollow perforatedblades, some of said blades being of greater diameter than others.

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOS MARCELINO URGELLS.

Witnesses:

THEO. G. HosrER, PHILIPD. RoLLHAUs. 

